Hilton has started to introduce digital keys across its UK hotel estate. The technology is retrofitted to room locks, allowing guests to open room doors using their phone.
Guests activate the service before arrival through the Hilton Honors app. When their phone comes into range they press the button in the app and the green light on the door appears and the lock clicks open.
There are nine Hilton hotels in UK with the technology, including Hilton London Tower Bridge, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London ExCel and the newly-opened Hampton by Hilton Exeter Airport.
The company is planning for 100 hotels to be fitted with the digital key technology by the end of the year, with the entire Hilton estate offering the service by mid-2018.
Hilton chief marketing officer, Geraldine Caplin said, “The advantages of using the phone is that it doesn’t de-magnetise, you don’t generally forget or lose your phone, and it’s super secure.
“We’re going so fast and investing so much money in this because these days a phone is a remote control to the world. People want to use it to control their lives and we’re just bringing that into hospitality.”
Through the Hilton Honors app members can now choose their room (Hilton has created floor plans of every floor in every hotel), check in remotely, open their bedroom door and check out.
Hilton plans to introduce a preference setting where its 60 million members can set their preferred temperature, lighting and television – both in terms of preferred channels and apps – in advance.